Inside Lucifer's War (5 page)

“If he is God, how could humans kill God?” I ask.

I see Lucifer’s anger rising. “He made himself vulnerable by coming to earth as a man. He made himself weak.”

“But—” I stop myself because I see rage building in his face.

“But what?” he asks sharply.

I stammer a bit, “Well, according to the Bible, that’s not the end of the story. Is the Bible accurate?”

He stares at me without saying a word. His expression is intense. I sit nervously, waiting for a response. His manner reminds me of how movie detectives interrogate a suspect. The detective looks long and hard at the suspect, waiting for the suspect to break the silence. If I knew what to say, I would say it.

Finally, he speaks. “You tell me. Your whole life you have rejected the Bible. You rejected it to your parents when you were a youth and later again to your father as his life failed him. You reject it today in your writings and philosophy and in your casual conversations. Now, in front of me, you ask me about the truth in the Bible. You are smart, Thomas. I know these have been trying moments for you, but I have not harmed your brain. Do not forsake your intellect. The Old Testament contains some wisdom and nuggets of truth, but the rest of the story is a fantasy contrived by a desperate group of people. Jesus was killed. They needed something to keep the story going, so they contrived the New Testament.”

“It is a fanciful story . . . Certainly not a story I would have invented,” I say, nodding to him.

“Then we are done with this subject,” he says.

He pauses again, flutters for a moment, then resumes. “As I was saying, because of humanity and God’s devotion to its creation, I am now without the glory that is rightfully mine. But I shall have it back. As I mentioned, Thomas, you will be a part of that glory.”

“I don’t understand,” I say. “How am I a part of this?”

“You will understand. As I did from the ancient of times with the angels, and as I do today with those angels who chose to follow me, I will reveal things to you as I deem appropriate. For now, though, you need to understand one simple thing: your eternal life depends on how you respond to me now. Whether you see me as a kind figure or a wretched, hideous being who speaks to you in a serpent’s tongue, or whether the disciples worship you and do your bidding or eat out your intestines, or whether you feel elated or ill. All depends on your allegiance and obedience to me in your current life. Shall I remind you of the way you felt when you arrived in my lair?”

I find myself repeating every feeling, emotion, and sensation I had when I found myself in Lucifer’s cave. I am there again, repeating the experience. I am not recalling it or thinking about it. It is happening again. I hear the chanting again, and I still cannot place the language. Only this time, I don’t hear the loud boom of a voice. Only the chanting fills the room. I am confused again and light-headed. I try to stand, only to fall against a bookcase. My legs are so weak.

“I remember!” I scream. “Please stop it!”

In that instant, it is over. My body feels fine again, but my mind is a wreck. In front of this thing, I am nothing. I have no power. He controls me, and for a lifetime or beyond he will, or so it seems. I see no avenue of escape. Strange, when I had felt sick and in despair in the dark cave, I seemed to have some intangible hope. Now, as I stand here, with no pain and, in fact, feeling good, I sense no hope. My eternal life is under the control of this beast. If I do not do what he commands, my life will be miserable. I still do not know what he will ask of me, but I know that I cannot feel the way I did a moment ago for all of eternity.

“I will do as you ask, Prince,” I say with no emotion.

With a very faint smile, he asks me to sit at my desk.

C
HAPTER 5

The Assignment

You are wise and gifted, Thomas. And that is why I chose you,” he starts.

As he says those words, I recall he also said he chose me because I had long since forsaken the Bible, I have great intellectual potential, and I have extraordinary talent. Am I to believe this or am I being deceived? I certainly believe I am all of those things, but I am not convinced that is why he has selected me. In the end, I decide it doesn’t matter. He has control over me at the moment, and meeting his demands seems my only way out. To be frank, I have no allegiance in this spiritual battle, and only moments ago I didn’t even believe in such nonsense. At least I know now that I’m special to him, and maybe I can exploit this favoritism to my advantage.

“I still don’t know what you want of me,” I reply.

He slides next to me and whispers into one ear and then the other, almost at the same time: “I ask nothing more of you than to achieve what you already crave. You desire fame, fortune, to counsel important men, and to be pursued by exotic, beautiful women. I want you to have all of that, but I will give you even more. I will give you the power to influence history, to see your theories and philosophies in practice, for your name to be known throughout the world, and for people to fear you. Your writings will be among the most revered and will influence nations. I will give you what you can’t achieve on your own.”

He rests on the corner of the desk when he has finished.

“But what is it that you want me to do to get all of this?” I again ask. It is clear he knows my heart, but it is not a coincidence that he first lays out all the wonderful things I could obtain prior to telling me what is required to achieve such treasures.

“You are a great writer, are you not?” he asks me. I smile slightly in agreement. “You are able to communicate ideas that go well above the average person. Isn’t that correct?” he asks. I once again confirm his statement. “You are a man of influence and persuasion, or have I misjudged you?” I affirm his supposition a third time.

He instantly vanishes from sight. Without a word, without motion, without anything, he disappears. Yet I still feel he is not distant. I think about all the things that I confirmed in our conversation. I am a man of influence and persuasion, though I know in my heart I have more potential. If only I could get the proper sponsorships and connections, people would understand my abilities. I also know that I am a great writer, regardless of what certain publications, like the
New York Times
, say.

Leveraging these skills to their full potential is what I want in this life, isn’t it? Of course, the ladies already are infatuated with me, so I’m not sure how he can help in that regard. I laugh to myself. I wonder about all of the things Lucifer has said. It was odd to me that he claimed that God gave the angels their gifts. If that were true, it would seem that God gave humans our gifts as well. Yet here I am, with Lucifer, who is manipulating those gifts, which are God given, for his own purpose. The implications confuse me, but I start to understand a bit more how Lucifer operates.

Suddenly he reappears, but this time with two others: a woman at his right and a man at his left. They both wear white gowns, creating a startling effect of beautiful white motion. They are not like the others I have seen with Lucifer. They are anything but hideous. In fact, they are beautiful, startlingly beautiful. I have not seen their equal in my life.

The woman wears an elegant white dress and seems to float by his side. She has dark, wavy hair in incredible contrast to the white vision as a whole. Her skin is pale, but her cheeks are flushed. Her lips are red like blood. She looks at me. I can’t turn away. Her eyes draw me in, and I don’t want to leave. She smiles, understanding that I am transfixed. She seems to be talking to me without speaking. I try to listen, but I can’t understand everything she says. It upsets me to not understand her, but I am amazingly relaxed in her gaze.

I force myself to look at the man next to Lucifer, or does the woman allow me to look away? The man wears a white robe that flows naturally over his shoulders. Under his hood, he has straight blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. He is perfectly tanned, with piercing blue eyes. He looks at me with a penetrating gaze as he walks beside Lucifer.

I find the scene relaxing, almost hypnotic. This is a dramatic change from the ugliness that had been forced on me earlier. I think that this serene scene would have been much more effective for Lucifer to use at the outset. I didn’t need to be tortured to understand.

As the trio move closer to me, the man and woman become hazy and disappear. Like an early fog that gives way to the rising sun, they fade into mist and are gone. I long to see them again. I try to shake the vision as Lucifer sits down. The image is emblazoned on my mind, though.

Clearly understanding my thoughts, he smiles. “Pleasant, isn’t it?” He doesn’t expect an answer. “I can make you that beautiful in this life and beyond. Those two have served me well, and that is their reward. I ask very little of you. I simply need the gifts you have developed. I need you to be what we both know you can be. I want you to do what you do and be yourself . . . only better.

“I want you to be one of my voices in the world—one of my most important voices. You won’t be alone. I have many disciples, each possessing talents to achieve my purpose. Think of us as one body, with me as the head. You, Thomas, will use words, language, and philosophy to my ends. The beauty of this arrangement is that you have unwittingly been doing it your entire career. Now, I will be more active in refining your words and deeds and shaping them for more influence. You lack the conviction and courage to take your philosophy to its natural, ultimate conclusion. You are weak and foolish compared to me, but I will help you. Through me, all things are possible. I will also put you in front of influential people who will embrace you and your ideas. People who otherwise would never notice someone of your stature.”

Though he hasn’t spelled out any terrible thing I must do, I feel uneasy and push my chair back slightly. Many thoughts rush into my mind. Am I being asked by Lucifer to become his weapon in the world? What are his ends? What does he mean that I lack the conviction of my philosophy? My philosophy is all about humanity, not spiritual evil or good. What does this all mean? I also know he was paraphrasing Scripture again when he said all things were possible through him. How is it that Lucifer could challenge God?

He continues, “My time is near, and I need to prepare humanity for my ultimate coming. The seeds have long since been laid, and the plant is growing, but now is the time for fertilization. Your work is part of the fertilization. As John the Baptist laid the groundwork for Jesus, so shall you lay the groundwork for me. Though the plant will not reach full growth during your lifetime, you will be part of its maturation, and you will be part of my victory.”

He can see my discomfort. His soothing voice changes. His soft eyes turn dark and hard. “Let’s be very clear. You are mine, and when you die, you will be mine for all eternity. How you spend that time is all that I am offering you. I am giving you an opportunity that millions would die, murder, steal, or blaspheme for. You have seen me in many forms. Do not make the decision to see me in my harshest forms for the remainder of your days.”

His voice softens. “You are a wise man, Thomas. Of that, I have no doubt. You will make the right decisions at the right times. Of that, I also have no doubt.”

I nod and give a slight smile to indicate I understand what he is saying. I feel brave and ask a question: “Forgive me. Are you suggesting you will rule over humanity for eternity? The book of Revelation says that the devil will be thrown into a lake of burning sulfur, where he will be tormented day and night forever. Please help me to understand.” I shrink back as I see his face turn to rage immediately, but then it relaxes and smiles.

He speaks a verse with sinister hisses in the background: “‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’” And then he says, “Tell me, Thomas, as you sat in my lair, where was this church that my gates could not overcome it? Show me, Thomas, as you have lived in the world, where is the onslaught of the church so that I should be afraid? Where are these saints that can withstand my fury? Use observation and reasoning. Tell me who is winning this war. No, Thomas, search deep in your heart, and you know it to be true. I am winning and shall win. The world is crumbling before me, and so shall his church. Do not suppose that what is written shall come to pass. You are more intelligent than that.”

I reflect on what he has said. In my mind, I know he is right.

“There is one more thing I ask of you,” he says. “Better said, there is one more thing that I wish to offer you. To rule, I must first raise up someone. This person will tame the world and bring peace to the nations. No one shall dare challenge his authority or his might. Moreover, the people will rally behind him and prop him up.”

The Antichrist? I wonder.

Then his eyes begin to flutter and roll back in his head. A dark, red glow emanates from him. He leans back and looks at the ceiling, stretches out his arms, and begins what seems like a speech. During the speech, he is joined by other creatures in reciting the words.

“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. . . . The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?” The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world. . . . Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.”